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To make money these days playing NLHE (no limit holdem) then you need to play differently to the masses. To do this means that you need to know just how the masses play in online poker games. Let us look at full ring games for example to show what I am talking about here. Just how does a reg make money at these levels from say NL25 through NL200? Well I think that there are an awful lot of tight-rakeback pro’s at these levels or semi-pro’s. These guys are doing nothing special but churn as much volume as they possibly can.

They will profit from rakeback and value from weaker players but will not be making much from other regs. So they need to multi-table to make as much as they possibly can. I think one of the keys to beating these players is to play differently to what they are doing. This year I played a lot of NL100 full ring and this was my normal playing level. I have had a good year but I have also felt this level tightening up and the soft money has become very hard to get.

I have devised strategies to attack and try to extract extra money from the regs but to be honest then I don’t think that they have been overly successful. There is a very important reason for this and it is because on big sites then many regulars flock here because of the player volume and so more pro’s play at this site than anywhere else. What we have here is a trade-off between volume and player quality because there are less pro’s per 100 head on smaller networks but the volume isn’t there to be able to game select.

So the regs are getting smarter and so playing too many tables means that it then becomes difficult to balance your ranges. It has also become a way of playing poker that has bored me senseless at times and this has been a problem with me putting the hours in. I have made a good hourly rate this year but I have only been playing around 10 hours/week and so I could have simply run good although that makes a nice change for me. However next year I want to play more single table poker but at higher levels…….I think I am pretty much burned out 10-12 tabling full ring and making auto-decisions and want to start playing “poker” again.

When playing online poker the information you get about other players’ hands is derived by observing the timing/speed with which each player makes a decision.

When you are playing you can usually either pre select an action within the poker software or you can click on your next move manually. Sometimes you can glean information by observing the way in which the software reacts based on what your opponent has done.

All of these suggestions are pure generalisations and you should watch out for clever players deliberately using tactics to disguise the strength / weakness of their hands.

Delays followed by a bet can indicate that an opponent has a strong hand

The delays are often used by players in an attempt to trick others into thinking that they have a weak hand. The apparent hesitancy is designed to make others call.

Delays followed by a check can indicate that an opponent has a weak hand

A player who is planning a check raise is likely to check more quickly.

Automatic bets or raises on the turn or river

This is likely to mean that the player has a strong hand as he/she has simply set the software to bet/raise/automatic checks on the turn, flop or river. This can usually be taken as an indication of weakness as the player is hoping to see more cards for nothing. Many people will use the check/fold auto button when planning to fold in the face of any bet.

You can ensure that you do not give opponents any ideas about your own hands by randomising the time it takes for you to make your selections. For example you could wait 2 seconds before checking / raising / folding when the previous card dealt was odd and wait 5 seconds when the last card was even.

Sometimes poker hands are won or lost before the flop is dealt. This is true in Texas holdem, and it’s even more true in Omaha hi lo. The trick to understanding Omaha hi lo starting hands is understanding that your hole cards should be coordinated. If your opponents play any four cards that “look good,” or if they play hole cards where only three of the four cards are coordinated, then you’ll gain a mathematical advantage by folding unless all four of your hole cards are coordinated.

The Best Possible Omaha Hi Lo Starting Hand

The absolute best starting hand you can hope for in Omaha hi lo is A234, especially if the ace and one of the other cards are the same suit.

One key to winning money at Omaha hi lo is “scooping” pots. You’re said to scoop a pot when you have both the best high hand and the best low hand, so you win both halves of the pot.

If you have an ace and another card of that suit, your chances of getting a flush aren’t bad, and an ace high flush is the best possible flush you can hope for. It’s not a sure thing, as a flush can still be beaten by four of a kind or by a full house, but a flush is a mighty fine hand.

Having the ace and the two also give you a great shot at getting the best possible low hand. And having the three and the four will help you get the best low even if a two hits the board. (If your low cards pair on the board, then that’s called being “counterfeited.”)

The Other Best Starting Hands in Omaha Hi Lo

These are also great starting hands:

AK34 – You’re especially looking for this combination to be “double suited.” For example, if you have the ace of spades and the four of spades, then you’ve got a great chance of hitting an ace high flush. And if the king and three are both diamonds, you’ve got two opportunities to hit a big flush. And hitting the best low hand is easy as long as two hits the board with two other cards under eight.

AA23 – You’re also looking to be double suited here, and for the same reasons. If you play Texas holdem, then you know that a pair of aces as hole cards is a strong opening hand, and if you’re double suited, you’ve got lots of opportunities for flushes here. Since you have both a two and a three, you’ve got some counterfeit protection toward the best possible low hand.

AAKK – This hand is weaker than the other hands, because it has no low hand potential. But not every board will have a low hand, so you can sometimes scoop the pot anyway. If this hand is double suited, then you have lots of high card strength and flush potential. High straights are a real possibility here too, as are full houses.

A23x – You’re hoping that the ace is suited with one of the other cards, so that you have the flush potential. The “x” could be any card at all. You still have counterfeit protection. With lots of players in a pot, this somewhat speculative opening hand can win you a lot of money.

When you get premium starting hands like this, get money in the pot by betting and raising preflop. In poker, it’s always good to turn on the gas when you have the advantage. Read More

This page is a how to play Omaha hi lo poker tutorial. You’ll learn the basics of how to play Omaha hi lo here. If you already know how to play Texas holdem, then learning to play Omaha hi lo should be a cinch.

High Low Split

Omaha hi lo is a “high low split” game. That means each pot is split between the person with the high hand and with the person who has the best qualifying low hand. Standard poker hand rankings are used to determine who wins the high. (You probably know these rankings already: two pair beats a pair, a three of a kind beats two pair, a straight beats three of a kind, a flush beats a straight, a full house beats a flush, four of a kind beats a full house, and a straight flush beats a four of a kind.)

Omaha hi lo poker is an “eight or better” game, which means that the low hand is determined by the player who has the lowest five unpaired cards below 8. Flushes and straights are ignored when determining a low hand, and the hands are compared with the highest card first. Therefore, a 5432A, regardless of suit, is the best possible low hand, while 87654 is the worst possible low hand that would still qualify as a low hand.

Some novices have trouble figuring out which low hand is better than another. Thinking of the low hand as a five digit numeral often helps. So it’s obvious that 87,654 is higher than 54,321.

High low split games are great because the pots can wind up really big.

Omaha Hi Lo Poker Hands

Omaha hands consist of four hole cards for each player and five community cards that all players share. When determining the hand rankings, the player must use two cards from her hand and three cards from the community cards. (This can confuse Texas holdem players, who are used to using any combination of hole cards and community cards to make up their hands.) The community cards are also often called “the board.”

If you’re having trouble understanding why this difference makes such a huge change in strategy and gameplay, consider this. Suppose you have the ace of diamonds as one of your hole cards. And suppose that four of the five cards on the board are also diamonds. In Texas holdem, you have an ace high flush, which is almost a sure winner. But in Omaha hi lo poker, you have to use TWO cards from your hole cards. If you don’t have another diamond in your hand, then you don’t have your flush.

Omaha Hi Lo Poker Hand Starting Combinations

In Texas holdem, you have two hole cards, and that gives you one combination of cards to work with.

But in Omaha hi lo poker, you have four cards, which doesn’t double the number of starting hands you have to think about. It actually gives you SIX different starting hands to look at. As a result, winning Omaha hands tend to have higher ranks than winning Texas holdem hands.

Here’s an example. Suppose you’re dealt A234. (We’ll ignore the suit for this example.) Your potential starting hands include the following combinations: Read More

Texas Holdem Tournament tips are important for players, who want to win in poker tournaments. There are some special tips that all players need when they enter the competition. First of all, poker players must pay entry fee if they want to join some tournaments. When you join a poker tournament, you can use all tips, which you use for poker games. The best poker players say that the most important thing is to look other players’ action.

The winner in Texas Holdem poker tournament is the player who has good poker skills and very good intuition. If you look carefully how other players play their hands, you will know how to play yours. In a single table tournaments, if you have suited cards, don’t think that you will win. Some people play very aggressively their cards and they lose. In a poker tournament, you play with so many people and your chances to have the best poker hand are lower.

There are different kinds of Poker Tournaments – Major Tournaments, Free Roll Tournaments, Guaranteed Tournaments, Satellite Tournaments, Shootout Tournaments, Freezeout Tournaments, Minor Tournaments, and Re-buy Tournaments. Before you start, it is good to decide which tournament you want to play. Depending on the tournament that you play in, you can use different strategies. In some poker tournaments, it is good to play aggressively, in other – you have to play carefully.

In the beginning players must keep their chips and they must play more tightly. In the middle of the game, blinds will change and players can bet more money. In Texas Holdem poker tournaments it is also very important what you position is in the game. If you are in an early position, it is good to play aggressively and to make the first raise. If there is another player who raise – it is better to fold unless you have a great hand.

If you play Texas Holdem poker tournaments more often, you will know how to get value of your poker hands. Be ready to lose, because when you play with so many people, the competition is not so easy. Do not play too tight on some tournaments! In poker tournaments, you must play more aggressive. If you just wait for a good hand, you can miss on some good situation. It is better to get the action now.